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My Kona Checklist: Sebastian Kienle

Kienle hammers the bike at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. (Photo by Nils Nilsen)

Get world champion-caliber advice from one of the pre-race favorites.

by Zoie Clift

German pro Sebastian Kienle finished fourth in Kona last year after getting a flat tire on the bike. The race, his first IRONMAN World Championship, capped a successful season that included a second place finish at the IRONMAN European Championship and his first world title—a win at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. (Last month Kienle took the title again this year.)

Kienle started competing in triathlons at the age of 12 and has dreamed of Kona since he was a kid. When he started the sport, his heroes were 1997 world champion Thomas Hellriegel (known by the nickname "Hell on Wheels" and the first German to ever win the event) and, later, Normann Stadler (2004 and 2006 champion). He was fortunate enough to train in the same pool with them on occasion and says he was hooked on the sport ever since.

When his flat tire occurred during last year’s race, he had to wait for assistance and lost precious time. The experience was a lesson in perspective. He now knows that how he handles, and reacts, to problems during racing is part of the game.

Kienle will be returning to Kona this year with his girlfriend and coach, Lubos Bilek.

Best piece of advice

"What everybody tells you—be patient."

Keys to preparation

"The mental part is key so I try to get in the right mindset. The environment [on the island] really helps me. It sort of calms me down. The ocean, the relaxed people, the climate. I don't do any special things, I just try to enjoy the weeks before the race."

Advice for first timers

"Just enjoy the race and the island and be nice to the people living there. We are guests. I sometimes see that triathletes 'overtake' the whole place. Some are riding three wide on the highway. Your race suit is for racing, even if there are pockets on the back. Don't wear it in the supermarket or around town all day. I just think in general be polite and be positive. You will find that will put you in a better mood, too."

Good luck charm

"I'll have to bring my wooden ladybug. It’s placed on my [bike] stem. I got it from my girlfriend and sometimes it helps me to look at it during a race and create some good thoughts in my head."

Pre-race chill

"I'm there for five weeks and have the chance to see a lot of places by bike and grab a coffee at Lava Java without waiting for an hour. During race week the good places like Huggo’s get really busy. The boat cruise with Body Glove is something I'm looking forward to. For us Europeans, Hawaii is such a nice place—everything normal you do becomes sort of special."

Rookie mistakes

"It might sound arrogant, but I think I didn’t make any mistakes besides removing the valve extension from my front tire."

Unexpected aspect of first Kona experience

"To my surprise, I wasn’t very nervous. I was thrilled to finally be able to race there. Because athletes are always telling so many stories about Kona, most first-timers expect a very, very tough race and have a lot of respect. This is good, but there are no "typical" things in Kona. That is something I learned five weeks before the race. You could have days with wind so strong that your tires are nearly ripped off the rim. Or days with clouds and no wind and conditions where a sub-eight would be necessary to win."